Wallet or-similar article with secret compartment



y 2 1952. s. KNEE 2,604,134- WALLET 0R SIMILAR' AR'IIYICLE WITH SECRET COMPARTMENT' l Filed Nov. 14, 1946 11 n ,5 44 U v z v z L i /,LZ8 I ,/4 I /e j 2 /6 INVENTOR Suva/v KNEE S QQ ATTORNEY Patented July 22, 1952 lumen srArss ATENT OFFICE; v

WALLET on SIMILARARTICLE I'rH JSEGREEBDOMPARTMENT I V sim nnne NewarnNJ; ,Applicatio n'November 14, 1946, Serial Montages 50mins; (ar se-3s) -The present. invention: relates to; walletsmor similar articles 7.

. The primary object of the present invention-is toprovidea wallet,:bi'llfold or other suitable containertwithpa secret-holder forpaper money or otheripapers' or :articles; ,saidisecret holderbeing so constructed "and related to, the container as to I enable the latter; to be, provided with said holder-"at minimum cost and. by simple-.rnanu- -facturingaoperations. l v -.1Another-ob'ject of the present invention is to "provide'the v wallet or other container with a secret holder'which includes means forming a ,-closure,;flap-:.for a compartment of the container. rIn accordancejwith thepresentinvention the ,holderjispreferably completely removable and .de- .itachableifromthe "container and the construction of-rthisrcdetachable holder is such that the above '.mentioned 'means which provides a closurev flap for "a compartment of the walletorother-pontainer also constitutes means to facilitate the v-removal .ofiztheholderfor saidcompartment. I

The above-androther objects, features andadvantages :of: the present inventionzwill. be understood from :the following description, reference -beingthadxto the accompanying drawings whichare." to ;be considered::aspillustrative of the invention, :butrnotLinliriIitafiOn thereof. ,In' the drawings:' a juFigilisian inner side view-of a foldable wa llet,

the unfolded; condition thereof, showing the secret. .zhold'er positioned within a reompartment oftheimallet, thenlosure' fiapifor said compart- "mentlibeing iniits'open positiony 1 ;Eig.. 2ris' a; sectional ,view on the line '2L2. iOf

Figrl'lz; 1 r Fig.f3t:is ,8.,ISECtlOIIEIViEW,OIIllhBliDG 3-.33 of Figzliy Fig. ,4 :is: a perspective. view of the holder reimoved zfromctheiwallet; H s

- .Fig;'-5 is aifra'gmentary view of the wallet, ,.the secret holder being removed;v i.

EigLCG fislalfront view of a holder form.

As illustrated in the drawings the present inof another ventionis shown as embodied in a foldablewallet ID of the type which is provided with .a slide fastener F which as usual comprises interlocking elements operatedlby. .a slider S. It will be understood m-however that the. present invention may layer 24 which isstitched' at athefedges. thereof to the adjacent edges of said partof wall [4. Also, as hereshown, the wallet may be provided with-a pluralityoof swingable compartments '26 attached to wall-l4 adjacent the central line of fold as indicated at 28. In accordancewiththe present invention, the wallet 10 is provided with a compartment :30 which is-disposed atone side of the" central line offold -ofthe 'wa'llet andlwhich h'asa-top opening "32. "Said compartment comprises a wall- 34 stitched to wall I'4 -by the lower edge stitching l8, the sideed'gestitching .IB and 3B: and thettop edge stitching' ifl; it being noted that'thewcom- 'partment ope'ning32 iis preferablyformed as here shown by a slit in -wall34 near the upper. edge 42 -thereof. i

A holder or secret pocket device His positioned within compartment 30; Preferably, as :.here shown, said secret holder and. pocket devicetis completely removable from the compartment :30

and includes-a foldable partf414' which formsila closure flap -for compartment fifi, wall 3.4 of the latter and-part of holder H being, provided with separable fastener members, "preferablyrsnap fastener elements 46 and 48, respectively, for"v releasably fastening the closure fiap. and thus releasably secur 'ng theholder H within compart- -ment-:aa:.. v

The holder H which is preferably "formed; of

leather but which can be formed or any other suitablematerialcomprises two walls 50 and 52 which are disposed in confronting relation and are stitched to each "other'by the line of stitching 54 at the upper edge of Walt-52, so that said walls '50 and 52'are relatively movable'as clearly shown in 4. 'As illustrated, wall- 59 is preferably formed "integrally with part-'44. A strap 56 is secured at its opposite ends to one of said walls, here shown as wall 5ll by'stitching 58 at" said opposite ends of'said strap anslat the adjacent side edge portions of wall 55. 'f -It will be understood that 'paper money or other papers, can

' be disposed between the confronting-surfaces of tie-embodied in any other type of wallet, or ;con-

I- 'ltainer. 1'.As here shown, safi'd'. walletgjcpmpri'ses the main-foldable pocketformed by v e Zouter ,wan lz and the inner w'allfH. whichT-ar .jiioined to-each. other, as by stitchingwat thei opposite 'is forr'necl by a part of main wall is and by av wal1l5O and strap 5$- so as to be retained in that position an'dso as" to be concea'led 'betweenw'all 9.50: andicthe companion. confronting W8L11"i5'2. utWhen: Lholder Hlis Within :compartmentrSll;:said :holder. :forms a divider ;forsaid =-compartment, since-money ion-other:v articlesmay ,be placed in thesub-cornpartment .betweenewall IA, of the fvv-allet and wall SQ- of holder: -H, and similarly ,money .or.,other articles may; be placed within the subacompartment .definedby wa1l, 52.and;the

inner confronting, surface of wall 34. It. will .be observed that part 4.4 bf thle. ,hOldr H .1101) only forms a closure flapfor eompartmentfilfland thus serves "to; conceal thepresenee in said compart- "m'ent of the secret,pocketorjholderI-I, and not only cOnstituteS means for removals-1y securing the holder in compartment '39 but also'provides means, in the nature of a pull tab, to facilitate removal of said holder from the compartment when it is desired to obtain access to the holder for removal or insertion of articles between wall 50 and the retaining strap 56. It will be understood that when the holder is in compartment- 30, wall52 lies flat and close to wall 59 and strap Further it will be observed that part 441s 56. foldable with respect to wall 50 along a line of fold 60 which as indicated in full lines in Fig.1- and in dotted lines in Fig. 4 is disposed above the upper edge of wall 52 and is located substantially at the upper edge of wall l4 and at the upper edge 42 of compartment wall 34. When the holder H is disposed within the compartment 30 of the wallet the upper edge 62 of wall 52 of the holder is disposed near but below. opening 32 of compartment 30 so that the presence of said holder in the compartment is not observable and is not readily detectable. r

The secret holder may be of the form illustrated in Fig. 6, although the construction shown in Fig. 4 is presently preferred. In Fig. 6, the confronting walls 50a and 52a are stitched or otherwise joined at their side edges 64 and at their bottom edges 66. The holder here shown has a top opening 68 and the foldable part Me which corresponds to part 44 of the holder shown in Fig. 4 is foldable about the'line 60a. It will be understood that the holder shown in Fig.6, like the holder shown in Fig. 4, fits in the compartment 30. t

It will be understood that various changes in the detailsof construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In a wallet provided with ag-compartment having an opening for access to :the interior ,of the compartment, an article holder normally positioned in said compartment, said holderbeing insertable into said compartment and removable therefrom through said opening, saidholder comprising a pair of relatively movable wall members secured together adjacent the tops thereof,

' whereby to disguise the fact that there are two insertable into said compartment and removable therefrom through said opening, saidholder comprising a pair. of relatively movable: wall members secured together adjacent the tops thereof, whereby-to disguise the fact that there are two' wall members, and an extension'provided on one of said wall membersat the'top thereof, said extension being foldable and-releasably attachable tosaid compartment in overlying relation thereto externally thereof and forming a releasable closure means for saidjcompartment, and means provided on one of said wall members for retaining an article in position thereon, said'mea'ns being disposed between the confronting surfaces of saidwall members for concealment by said wallmembers.

3. In a wallet provided with a compartment cealing the latter.

having an opening for access to the interior of the compartment, an article holder normally positioned in said compartment, said holder being insertable into said compartment and removable therefrom through said opening, said holder comprising a pair of relatively movable wall members secured together adjacent the tops thereof, whereby to disguise the fact that there are two wall members, and an extension provided on one of said wall members at the top thereof, said extension being foldable and releasably attachable to said compartment in overlying relation thereto externally thereof and forming a releasable closure means for said compartment, and means provided on one of said wall members for retaining an article in position thereon, said means being disposed between the confronting surfaces of said wall members for concealment by said wall members, saidmeans being constituted by a strap secured to the inner surface of said latter one of said wall members.

4. An article holder for use with a-wallet compartment having an opening for access to the-interior of the compartment, sa'idholder beingremovably insertable in said compartment through said opening and comprising a pair of relatively movable wall members secured together adjacent the tops thereof, whereby to :disguise the fact that there are two wall members, and an extension provided on one of said-wall members at the top thereof, said extension being foldable and having means for the releasable attachment thereof to the compartment in overlying relation thereto and externally thereof whereby to form a releasable closure for the compartment.

5. An article holder for use with a Wallet compartment having an opening for access to the interior of thecompartment, said holder being removably insertable in said compartment through said opening and comprising a single-wall "partition for said compartment to form sub-compartments therein, said partitionhaving a portion which projects from said opening when said holder is positioned in said compartment, said portion being foldable and having means for the releasable attachment thereof to 'thecompartment in overlying relation thereto and externally thereof wherebyto form a releasable closure for the compartment, means carried by saidxpa'rtition inwardly from said projecting portion thereof for retaining an article'thereon, and .a; wall part secured at its upper edge to said partition inwardly of said projecting portion andabove the lower edge of said partition, 'said wall part overlying said article-retaining means for consmion KNEE.

' REFERENCES CIT-ED v The following references are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS V Number Name 'jDate" 1,425,217 Regulski J Aug. 8,1922 j 1,564,967 Kulick Dec.'8, 1925 1,895,782 Buxton Jan. 31, .1933 2,087,922 Mayer July 27, 1937 2,319,110 Buxton May 11, 1943 2,344,694 Gardner Mar. 21, 1944 2,423,939 I Knee July 15, 1947 2,439,715 Broughton Apr. 13,1948 2,458,711 Knee Jan. 11, 1949 2,476,739 Knee July 19, 1949 

